As teacher deal deadline looms, a handful of holdouts remain

Frank Bruseker, president of Alberta Teachers Union Local 38, says Education Minister Jeff Johnson has the authority to fire any school board that refuses to sign the teacher agreement hammered out in March, and replace trustees with an appointed board. “That’s one option,” Bruseker said Tuesday.

Photograph by: Stuart Gradon Stuart Gradon
, Calgary Herald

With less than a week before the May 13 deadline for all school boards and union locals to ratify the tentative teacher labour agreement, speculation is mounting over what will happen if some refuse to endorse the deal.

If it comes to that, some observers suspect the provincial government will introduce legislation to impose the provincewide framework agreement on reluctant boards and locals.

But the head of the public teachers union in Calgary says Education Minister Jeff Johnson wields another big stick: he has the power to fire a board of trustees and replace them with a government appointee.

“That’s one option,” said Frank Bruseker, president of Local 38.

A handful of school boards and one local union have come out against the deal, while the vast majority are in favour.

But to be approved, the agreement stipulates it must be ratified by all 62 school boards and their union locals by May 13.

A spokeswoman for the minister says they are optimistic about the prospects of meeting the deadline, and still believe they will assuage the concerns of hesitant school boards.

The minister has refused to say what he might do if school boards and union locals refuse to sign the deal. His spokeswoman, Kim Capstick, said they don’t think it will come to that.

“We’re really optimistic that by the time the deadline comes that we’re going to have a deal,” Capstick said.

The tentative framework agreement was struck between the Alberta Teachers Association and the province in March.

A handful of school boards have come out in opposition, including the Calgary Board of Education, which worries about “hidden costs” and says the deal gives the teacher union too much power.

CBE trustees voted against the deal in March. On Tuesday, CBE chairwoman Pat Cochrane said there is nothing scheduled to reconsider the decision before the deadline.

Trustees at the CBE have openly acknowledged the minister could ultimately legislate the deal on school boards that are holding out.

However, one former Tory education minister said the province should “think carefully” before “overriding” school boards by imposing a deal through legislation.

“I don’t think this becomes a legal issue,” said Ron Liepert, who retired from elected office last year.

“This becomes a matter of respect. You do have locally elected school boards who are elected. I think you have to treat them in that manner.”

Liepert was the education minister during the first provincewide deal, struck in 2007 and approved in early 2008.

Right up until the end there were several school boards refusing to sign. All ultimately came around, including Grande Prairie Public School District, which held out to the 11th hour.

Rumours swirled that Liepert was ready to fire the board to get the deal done. But Liepert said this week that was “totally false” and he never contemplated such action.

In this latest contract, 51 school boards support the deal as of Tuesday afternoon. More votes will be held in the coming days.

Fifty-two union locals have so far voted in favour.

The deal calls for zero increases to the salary grid for three years, followed by a two per cent increase and one-time, one per cent lump sum.

It also caps instructional hours and introduces other measures to reduce teacher workload.

The president of Local 73 in St. Albert, the local that voted against, said she doesn’t know what will happen once the deadline is passed.

But teachers in St. Albert want to bargain solely with their school board, and not be part of a provincewide deal. Ideally, they would simply be cut out of the framework agreement.

“I hope that we are allowed to bargain in good faith with our school board. That’s been it right from the start,” said Ellen Snaith, the local president.

“It hasn’t been about money, it hasn’t been about other things in the framework. It has been about our right to bargain with our local board.”

Late Tuesday, one Calgary-area local threw its support behind the framework proposal.

The Rocky View Teachers ATA Local 35, which represents more than 1,000 teachers in Rocky View School Division, voted to accept the deal — although, the final tally was not released publically. Despite the favourable vote, Local 35 president Michelle Glavine acknowledged teachers weren’t pleased with the three years of zero increases to the salary grid.

Frank Bruseker, president of Alberta Teachers Union Local 38, says Education Minister Jeff Johnson has the authority to fire any school board that refuses to sign the teacher agreement hammered out in March, and replace trustees with an appointed board. “That’s one option,” Bruseker said Tuesday.

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